Insurance
by DarkDragonne
Summary: Kenshin is experiencing strange symptoms, and Arctic Fox has an idea... written for a prompt at No True Pair- "Kenshin and Arctic Fox are in a marriage of convenience".


My first fic for this fandom, hope I did well enough. The ending felt kind of rushed, but I'm not good with fluff and romance… written for a prompt at No True Pair

**Insurance**

Kenshin's katana cut the dragon's scaled head right off its shoulders and it fell and rolled to his feet with a satisfying _splat! _He wiped his blade off on the grass, and turned to Arctic Fox, who had just finished dealing with a horde of smaller beasts that resembled a cross between snakes and vultures, complete with a horse's head. The player had the look on his face that Kenshin had come to associate with system announcements that he was deaf to. Probably experience points being awarded, he decided.

Arctic Fox met his gaze and gave a tiny, almost imperceptible nod that meant, '_well done'_, and Kenshin replied with a nod that was even smaller. The two began to walk back towards infinite city in silence when a sound unlike any he had ever produced escaped from Kenshin's throat and nose simultaneously as he instinctively closed his eyes until the air left his lungs, leaving a slight tickle in his airways.

Kenshin was often confused by things the humans did, but this was the first time his own body had done so since he gained self-awareness. Arctic Fox glance towards him with one eyebrow slightly raised, but it did not appear to concern him, so Kenshin kept his silence.

But as they walked further, it happened more and more often, with only minutes between each occurrence, and sometimes even three or four of them in a row.

A slight tilt of Arctic Fox's head, _'are you alright?'_

A single nod, eyes closing slowly. _'I'm fine'._

An almost unnoticed twist of the player's lips, and then words- "I've never heard you sneeze before."

Sneezing. So that's what it was called. He shrugged. _'Nothing serious.'_

Perhaps Prince would know what to do about it. And as the 'sneezing' got worse he decided he would have to ask.

Prince's advice was simply, "it should pass on its own, ignore it!" And so Kenshin did. But a day or two later, he found that whatever was wrong with his went beyond the sneezing and somewhere into his head. Sudden movements would induce dizziness headaches were a constant, and the occasional feeling of something _moving_ in the pit of his stomach lingered. He wasn't going to let that influence his schedule, of course, and he kept fighting and sparring as he always did.

After three days, he was even able to muffle his sneezes so that opponents didn't hear his approach.

But it wasn't improving, or passing on its own, and he was starting to worry something was fundamentally wrong with him. Maybe it was something in his programming, some patch gone wrong or some mistake he hadn't known of. But in the back of his mind, there remained a nagging fear that it was something worse.

The fear that he was losing himself, losing his self-awareness. That his symptoms were all leading back into oblivion, back to being a mindless program. But he didn't want to tell the others of his fears, to make them worry or pity him. So he maintained his customary silence, and attempted to mask his problem with his usual blank face.

After five days, Wolf told him he needed to be tested.

When he arrived at the place they decided to meet in, with Arctic Fox trailing behind him like a silent shadow, Kenshin wasn't sure what to expect.

The "inspection" ended up being little more than Wolf (who assured him he was a doctor in his second life) peering into his throat and measuring his body temperature, while Prince hovered nearby like a worried parent and Lolidragon absorbed in one of her strange devices.

"You have a virus." Wolf and Lolidragon said simultaneously, then looked at each other in confusion, waiting for the other to elaborate.

"The program says…" Lolidragon started the moment Wolf explained "the symptoms match…" And each trailed off as soon as he realized the other one was talking, until Lolidragon finally said, "Ok, you go first."

"Right… Kenshin, it looks like you've got a cold. It's fairly common, really," he said, seeing the confusion on the red-haired warrior's face. "Most everyone has it at some point. How to explain… there are these tiny organisms called viruses, they're parasites too small for the eye to see. They take residence inside people, and symptoms like the ones you're experiencing are your body trying to fight them off."

Kenshin understood the explanation, at the very least, although he did wonder how these creatures got into his body in the first place. With his heightened senses, how didn't he notice?

"The only problem with that is," Wolf continued, "I don't know if it's even possible for an NPC to get infected in the first place."

"I might be able to explain that." Lolidragon interjected. "You see, virus is also a word for a bug in a computer program. The best way I can explain it to someone who doesn't have any computer experience is that a foreign element interferes with the code and the way the program should 'act', causing small glitches. So I think something like that might have happened to you, and it manifests as a biological virus."

Now that made no sense at all, but Kenshin nodded carefully, as if he understood every word. The explanation itself wasn't important. What mattered was whether they could fix it.

"Can you fix it?" Prince asked for him, saving Kenshin the bother.

"With some time and money, yes. It should be simple enough, I'll start working on it as soon as I log off."

That evening found Kenshin sitting near a small stream on the borders of Infinite City, staring at the water and thinking. He was glad, at least, that things weren't as bad as he'd feared. He wasn't going back to a state of oblivion, and apparently there was nothing _serious _wrong with his programming. Whatever it was that went faulty, Lolidragon could fix it, and things would go back to normal… whatever that meant. As normal as they were ever going to be for him, at least.

He heard Arctic Fox before he saw him, or perhaps he felt him with that strange sixth sense of his that notified him whenever a player was a certain distance away, that sense that had forced him to attack before he became Prince's pet.

Now it notified him of the other warrior's presence, and he turned back and acknowledged him with a slight nod, whose effect was somewhat ruined by another sneeze.

The look Arctic Fox gave him was almost accusing, and Kenshin didn't understand why.

"You got sick." Arctic Fox stated.

"What of it?" It looked as though this was going to turn into one of their rare, two-sided conversations.

"Could have been dangerous."

"But it wasn't." Was Arctic Fox… worried?

"Can you pay for the cure?"

"Prince probably will." Prince had been the source of his money from the moment they had met. As an NPC pet, Kenshin didn't have any of his own, and while Prince couldn't exactly be described as 'happy to share', share he did.

Arctic Fox shook his head. "That won't do. Not if it happens again." With those words, his eyes brightened as though he had an idea, and he turned around and disappeared into the bushes. And Kenshin didn't feel like following.

"Let me get this straight." Lan was used to strange shenanigans from the residents of Infinite City. But this was even more unusual than the norm. "You want to get married. To Kenshin."

"Yes." Arctic Fox replied calmly. "For the insurance."

"Insurance." Lan echoed, mind blank.

"Medical insurance. It wasn't an issue until now because we didn't even know he could get sick. But now, if this becomes something regular, he'll need money to fall back on for medicine and other treatments. A person can use their spouse's insurance."

If this wasn't the strangest idea for marriage she had ever heard of, she didn't know what was. It was even worse than the inevitable union between her brother and Lolidragon! Not to mention that she had never heard Arctic Fox say so many consecutive words! What was wrong with her world? (Other than the usual fangirls-and fanboys, gender confusion and love triangle, that is)

But inside, Lan knew there was nothing she could do to stop this… whatever it was. With a mental sniff, she thought, _they're growing up so fast, I just can't take care of them anymore! And when did I become the mother of everyone? Wicked says I can't even tie my own shoes!_

"Fine!" Lan threw her arms in the air, surrendering. "Whatever you want! As long as Kenshin agrees, that is!"

Arctic Fox gave her a rare, non-cold smile, and she prayed to God, Allah, and Buddha that the predatory glint in his eye was just her imagination.

The medicine Lolidragon and Wolf made for Kenshin six days later looked like a small white pill, nothing more, nothing less, although the thief assured him it was actually some kind of program called an antivirus that looked that way so his own programming would find it easier to accept. The majority of the money for it came from what Arctic Fox called his 'insurance'. Apparently, now that they were married it was custom to do that.

At first, Kenshin had been reluctant over Arctic Fox's idea, but the latter had assured him that it was necessary to his health, and that since he couldn't get an insurance for himself he _needed_ the marriage. And the dark haired warrior was one of the few people Kenshin trusted.

According to Arctic Fox, now that they were married it was also necessary for Kenshin to move into Arctic Fox's apartment in the city. At that point, he started to become suspicious, but as long as it didn't interfere with his lifestyle, it was no great inconvenience, and besides, the deeds were done and the vows made already.

And so Kenshin ended up lying awake on his bed in the apartment, waiting for Arctic Fox to log on. The sickness hadn't returned in three days, and he could only assume that the cure had worked.

With a sudden shimmer of light, his… Arctic Fox materialized in the middle of the room and greeted Kenshin with a twist of the lip. _'I'm back.'_

Kenshin tilted his head, '_spar?'_

A lift of both eyebrows and eyes flashing towards the door. _'Let's.'_

The battle felt more awkward than any they'd had _before_. The usual spectators couldn't notice the small differences- movements slightly slower, clumsier, the two warriors unconsciously trying not to injure each other seriously, and keeping a certain distance between them, as if they were afraid to break this strange, new bond. But of course Kenshin himself noticed, and found himself wondering for the hundredth time whether they had made the right decision.

And with a clash of steel on steel the sword flew out of Arctic Fox's hand, and the tip of Kenshin's blade was at his throat. And looking at the calm expression on the other's face, Kenshin realized that whatever the reasons for this marriage, and although it might not be a good thing, it wasn't necessarily bad either.


End file.
